Can't Fight a Human
by FaeMelody
Summary: Ted had sent her flying across the room- her head was ringing, her jaw throbbing and she lay crumpled on the floor as he approached her. She couldn't remember the last time something had been strong enough to injure her with one blow. Human, a voice whispered as she watched him breathe. He's human… you can't fight back. AU
1. Chapter 1

Her ears were ringing.

That was Buffy's first thought, oddly enough. She blinked, dazed, reaching up almost absently to where her head was throbbing and stared for a moment in confusion when her fingers came away coated red. Her jaw ached as well, she could taste blood in her mouth and her right eye was rapidly swelling.

Stunned, she blinked up at the man standing over her, his expression blank. But Ted's chest was rising and falling, she could see… he was speaking, his lips moving but she couldn't hear him and anger flashed across his face as he reached out, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcibly lifted her to her feet. Fear trickled through her. Who was he? She couldn't remember the last time something had been strong enough to injure her with one blow.

Human, a voice whispered as she watched him breathe. He's human… you can't fight back.

She looked up with her one good eye just in time to see him reach for her again; there was no coherent thought in her decision to duck through his arms and stumble from her bedroom, running into her mother, who was standing in the hallway. Their eyes met for one moment- just long enough for Buffy to see the confusion in Joyce's- before she lurched away, pushing past her and down the stairs. Once out the house she began to run. She had no particular direction in mind, just a need to get as far away as possible.

At one point, she thought her other eye had been injured as well when her vision swam and blurred, before she realised with surprise that she was crying. Roughly, she swiped the tears away, her whole body aching from where she'd slammed into the wall. One hit, she thought in confusion, there had been one hit but there had been enough force behind it to knock her across the room and into the wall.

She realised that without thinking she'd ended up at school, her feet automatically directing her towards the library.

"Giles?" she called out hopefully, groaning slightly when her whole face seemed to protest the movement this caused. But it was late, and the library was bathed in darkness. Buffy let out a sob, stumbling over to the counter and sinking down to huddle against it, not fighting against the fresh wave of tears.

She didn't hear the door open, but the soft voice calling her name caught her attention. "Buffy?" Jenny Calendar frowned, stepping inside and peering into the darkness. "Buffy is that you?"

"It's me…" Buffy answered hoarsely.

"I thought I saw you come in here. What are you doing here so late? Are you alright?" Jenny leant over to flick a light on, and gasped when she saw Buffy's face. "What happened?!"

Buffy opened her mouth to answer but instead she found herself sobbing, pressing a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hold back.

"Oh honey…" Jenny knelt beside her, hesitating only a moment before she slowly reached out and drew the girl into a hug. Buffy resisted for a moment, then collapsed into her, her whole body trembling as she wept. Jenny murmured nonsense to her as she held her, one hand coming up to stroke gently over her hair, eyes widening when she caught sight of blood staining the tips of her fingers. It took several minutes, but finally Buffy calmed down somewhat and Jenny pulled back to look at her face.

"Buffy? Buffy, I need to take you to the hospital-" she began but the teen cut her off.

"No!"

"You have a head injury." Jenny said firmly. "Not to mention a black eye and what I think might be a broken jaw. I'm taking to you to hospital. Can you stand?"

Buffy nodded, instantly regretting it when the pain intensified. She moaned softly, not paying much attention to her surroundings as Jenny carefully stood her upright and began to guide her outside. The teenager was swaying and weaving, she noticed, catching hold of her just before she crashed into a display case. It was a miracle she'd made it to the library without being hit by a car or something.

It took some doing, but eventually they both made it to Jenny's car and then to the hospital, where a nurse took one look at Buffy and quickly ushered them through to a cubicle. "You her mother?" she questioned doubtfully, looking at Jenny.

"I- no. I'm her teacher… and a family friend." She added quickly, seeing the nurse's look.

"You ain't family, you gotta stay in the waiting room. We'll call her mother-"

"No!" Buffy cried, pulling away from the nurse and backing up several steps into Jenny. "No, let her stay! Please. Don't call my mother, I don't want her here. I want Miss Calendar."

Jenny was quick to reach out, taking the hand Buffy was grasping with and wrapping an arm around her waist to lead her to the bed. "I'm not going anywhere." She assured her firmly, pinning the nurse with a cool look. "Not unless you want me to, at any rate."

"I don't! Please stay."

The nurse looked unhappy but there was nothing she could do as Jenny took a seat Buffy's bedside, soothing the distraught girl the best she could. "Buffy? Honey, I know you don't want to talk about it and that's fine, but I need to know- is whatever did this going to hurt anyone else?" Jenny asked carefully, rubbing soothing circles onto the back of her hand. Buffy shook her head, instantly wincing.

"Okay." Jenny accepted simply, continuing the calming motions as Buffy continued to cry softly. She watched the teenager helplessly, uncertain of how much comfort she would be willing to accept, especially from her. But she couldn't sit and watch the girl cry either, so she shifted to sit next to her on the bed and embraced her gently, not moving until the doctor entered to begin her examination.

Buffy clung to her hand throughout the lengthy examination, her out-of-character behaviour not helping Jenny's concern in the slightest.

"Right- I'm going to call a porter to take you down to x-ray to confirm your jaw is broken and also send you for a MRI to check for bleeding on the brain. I'll come back once the results are ready." The doctor stood, glancing at Jenny. "May I speak to you? Outside?"

"Miss Calendar…" Buffy looked nervous, eyes wide.

"I'll be right outside, I promise." Jenny squeezed her hand. "You'll be able to see me the whole time."

She followed the doctor out, looking at her curiously. "Miss Calendar, as Miss Summers is a minor under usual circumstances we would call her legal guardian- in this case her mother. However, she's made her wishes quite clear in that regard and despite her concussion we do have to abide by them. But…"

"But?"

"I am obligated to report cases of suspected child abuse regardless of the age of the child." The doctor dropped her voice. "And as Miss Summers has been as yet unforthcoming regarding the circumstances of her injuries…"

"I understand." Jenny felt her stomach sink. "For what it's worth, Buffy is exceptionally close with another teacher at the school- I have no doubt that if there had been any sign of abuse before he would have come forward."

"I see. Have there been any changes in her personal life recently? New people? Perhaps a boyfriend? Contact with her father, perhaps?"

"I… I believe her mother might have a new boyfriend." Jenny said slowly, feeling like there were rocks in her stomach as she recalled the conversation she'd overheard between Willow and Rupert earlier that day. The realities of that hit her and she felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh God…"

The doctor looked sympathetic. "She won't be the first one I've seen. You're a teacher… I imagine you've seen a few too."

"Unfortunately." Jenny grimaced. There were always a few, in every year group. The majority were neglect cases of varying severity, sometimes there was physical or sexual abuse. Every so often there would be a girl or boy with an abusive partner- she winced inwardly at this thought, because so far those had never ended well. But Buffy… Buffy was the slayer. Even after the Master, she'd been a bit bruised but her injuries were relatively minor. What had happened to cause her injuries this severe?

"I'll send a nurse in to take pictures while we're waiting for the porter." The doctor was saying. "I'll have to call the police as well, and they'll likely contact social services-"

Jenny felt thoroughly out of her depth. She had no idea how Buffy was going to take all this, or even if it was the right thing to do. Perhaps a demon had injured her after all. As quickly and politely as she could, she thanked the doctor and returned to Buffy, only to find her crying quietly. She was in no state to answer questions, Jenny realised somewhat panickily, and she had no idea what to do or how best to help her. Instead, she simply tried to comfort her as two nurses entered with a camera. They took pictures of all her injuries, including the rapidly darkening bruises on her back and right side before a porter arrived to take her for her scans.

"Miss Calendar, can you come?" Buffy pleaded.

"No honey, I'm not allowed in there. But I promise I will be right here waiting for you once you're done."

As soon as she was out of sight, Jenny hurried to the nurse's desk and asked to borrow the phone, dialling the number from memory on her second attempt.

"Hello?"

"Rupert it's me. Jenny." Relief rushed through her at the sound of his voice. "I'm at the hospital, in the ER."

"Are you okay?" alarm coloured his voice and she could practically hear him shooting upright.

"It's not me." She reassured him hastily. "It's Buffy."

"Buffy?"

"I found her in the library. Rupert, it's bad."

There was a long pause. "Is- is she…?"

"Shoot, no! I'm sorry, I'm not being very clear." She ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath. "She's fine. Well, not fine- she has a head injury with a concussion and a possible brain bleed, a black eye, suspected broken jaw and a lot of bruising."

"What happened? Was she attacked? Was it a demon?"

"Not the kind you mean."

"What?" the rustling she could hear in the background paused.

"I don't think it was a demon attack, Rupert. She's distraught, barely coherent." Jenny bit her lip. "Don't get me wrong, I like Buffy. She's a sweet girl and possibly the bravest person I've ever met, but I'm not as close to her as you are, or as I am to Willow. But she's clinging to me like a child would- when the nurse suggested I wait outside she freaked. I don't think she's stopped crying either."

"That... doesn't sound like Buffy."

"Yes, Rupert, that's kind of my point!" she hissed, smiling politely at a nurse walking by.

"Right- yes of course." He stammered slightly. "Jenny- I'm leaving now. Have you called her mother?"

"She was adamant she didn't want her here. Rupert…" she hesitated for a long moment. "Please hurry."

"On my way."

She hung up the phone and returned to the cubicle, fingers tapping nervously as she waited for Buffy to return, the bustle and noise of the ER surrounding her. A few cubicles down she could hear a man swearing violently, although at what, she wasn't certain. There were a couple of children shrieking and shouting, a woman weeping and someone was groaning dramatically. There was a lot of shouting and raised voices, and every so often a pair of rubber-soled shoes would go sprinting past. She wasn't sure how long she was there for- long enough for the screaming baby next door to be discharged and replaced by a drunk college student singing camp-fire songs.

"Jenny?"

"Rupert!" undiluted relief rushed through her when he slipped through the curtain and she was in his arms before she'd even registered that she'd stood up. They stayed like that for a few seconds before she pulled away, blushing. "Sorry. But I'm really glad you're here."

"How is she?"

"They haven't brought her back yet."

"Back?"

"They took her for an x-ray and an MRI." She explained, waiting for him to pull up a chair before sitting herself. "She looked… bad."

"Did she tell you what happened?" he asked softly, leaning forward to take her hand. She shook her head.

"I asked if whatever had done it was going to hurt anyone else and she said no. I didn't push it, she was really upset."

"I don't understand- you said you found her in the library? If she'd been injured on patrol why didn't she call me from a payphone?" he frowned. Jenny shifted.

"I'm not sure she was injured on patrol. Her mother has a new boyfriend, doesn't she?"

He blinked, taken aback. "Yes, I believe so. What does that have to do with-?" he cut himself off, looking aghast. "You don't think…?"

"I do. The way she was acting… she's fought demons before. But being attacked in her home by someone she can't- or thinks she can't- fight back against? That's a vastly different situation." Jenny pressed her lips together. "It would explain her behaviour, and why she tried to come to you."

"To me?"

"She feels safe with you. Anyone could see that." Jenny shrugged. "It's hardly surprising that her first instinct was to come to you."

There was a long moment of silence. "Then thank God you were there." Giles said simply. Jenny looked up at him, lacing their fingers together.

"Rupert- the doctor, she's calling the police over this." She said quietly.

"The police?"

"State law in suspected child abuse cases." She explained. "But if she testifies that her mother's boyfriend did this and Mrs Summers refuses to break up with him…"

"They'll remove Buffy from her mother's custody." He finished. "But Joyce… she loves Buffy. Surely she wouldn't stay with him?"

"It would hardly be the first time a parent put their relationship over their child." She pointed out unhappily. He grimaced.

"Quite."

"Would the Watcher's council allow that to happen?" she asked. "I mean, she'd likely be sent to live with her father, wouldn't she?"

"That would rather depend on schools."

"Schools?"

"I believe the reason Mrs Summers moved here in the first place was because no school in LA would accept Buffy. Since I doubt her father intends to leave the city anytime soon…" he trailed off, his point needing no further explanation.

"So foster care?"

He shook his head. "That the council definitely wouldn't allow. Too much paperwork if… if the worst should happen."

"Nice." Jenny wrinkled her nose.

"And _I_ wouldn't allow it." He added. "Not when there are other options available for her."

"You'd take her in." Jenny smiled slightly and he blushed.

"It's actually fairly common for Watcher's to become their charge's legal guardian, even if their parents are alive." He explained hastily. "That way, they can be trained and educated from childhood. The council have a lot of influence over these things- they might not even give Buffy a choice."

Jenny hummed, looking at him in amusement. "You don't fool me, Rupert Giles. Council or not, you love that girl. You'd never let her wind up in the system."

"I- well, I- um-"

She huffed out a laugh at his stammering. "I can't believe we're having to discuss this." She murmured. Rupert had opened his mouth to say something in reply when the curtain opened, revealing Buffy being wheeled in by a porter. Both adults rose, Jenny reaching out to help her get situated on the bed, grabbing a blanket to put over the hospital gown.

"Hey honey." She greeted. "Did they say anything about the results while you were there?"

"No." Buffy replied softly.

"Okay. The doctor should be in soon then."

There was a silence as Buffy picked at the blanket. "You don't have to stay." she blurted out. Jenny blinked.

"Sorry?"

"You… you don't have to stay. I know I was being needy-girl before, but I'll be fine. Will or Xander can pick me up, or-"

"Buffy." Jenny interrupted, placing a hand over hers to stop her movements. "I'm not going anywhere." The girl glanced at her, studying her for a moment before relaxing slightly and giving a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "And neither is Rupert."

"Rupert?" Buffy questioned, then looked past her for the first time to where the librarian was hovering awkwardly. "Giles!"

"Buffy. How are you feeling?" he asked warmly, stepping forward.

"Strangely, better now that you're here." She paused, and glanced at Jenny. "No offence Miss Calendar."

"None taken. He has that effect on people." She grinned at him sideways and he looked like her was trying very hard not to roll his eyes. Buffy looked from one to the other and smiled slightly.

"Are you not mad at him anymore?" at the stammering and blushes of both adults, she grinned wider then winced, holding her hand to her jaw for a brief moment. "Ow!"

"That'll be your fractured jaw." The doctor supplied as she entered, slipping the x-rays up onto the wall. She glanced at Giles, flicking a questioning gaze to Jenny, who shook her head with a small smile to explain that he was no danger.

"Fractured jaw?" Buffy questioned unhappily.

"A minor hairline fracture. I won't have to wire it, but I will wrap your head up for a few weeks to prevent further injury." The doctor explained. Buffy made a face before remembering that with her healing, it would likely only be a couple of days.

"What about her head?" Jenny asked anxiously.

"No sign of serious injury- you will need to be watched for the next 48 hours though. Any sign of changes in behaviour or condition and you'll need to come straight back in." she instructed as she began to wrap a bandage around Buffy's jaw.

"We'll keep an eye on her." Giles confirmed.

"You also need to keep the stitches on your head dry." She continued. "There'll be an appointment for you to have them removed in three to five days- any signs of infection-"

"We'll bring her back in." Jenny finished. Buffy was frowning, glancing at her and Giles uncertainly. The doctor finished, and stepped back.

"Okay then, we're all done here. I'll have the nurse fetch the discharge paperwork for you and then you're free to go." She smiled. Buffy touched the bandage.

"Be honest with me Giles- just how bad do I look?"

The doctor touched Jenny's arm. "You understand the police will likely be in touch." She said softly. Jenny nodded.

"I know. We'll explain it to her."

"Under normal circumstances I would admit her overnight." The doctor continued quietly. "But when I mentioned that during her scan she was adamant she wouldn't stay. The only reason I'm releasing her into your care is because the alternative was her leaving by herself AMA in the middle of the night."

"We'll look after her." Jenny promised.

"Good. I'll send the nurse in with the paperwork."

It took half an hour, but eventually Buffy was back in her own clothes and the three were walking out the hospital. They'd barely made it a dozen steps, however, when Buffy stopped dead.

"Oh God…"

"What's wrong?" Giles questioned, visibly concerned as his hands hovered anxiously.

"My diary." She breathed. "He had it, he was going to show it to mom. She'll… she'll think I've gone mad. I can't… she won't…"

The blonde was breathing faster and faster, eyes panicked. "Buffy… Buffy breathe. Nice and slow." Jenny grabbed her hands, bringing them to her chest. "Breathe with me, honey."

Buffy was muttering to herself between gasps, too quietly for Jenny to hear everything, but the odd few words had her concerned. "…insane…can't go back there…not mad…"

"You're not going back home, Buffy." Jenny soothed. "We wouldn't let you."

Buffy looked at her with wide eyes. "But-"

"No buts. You're not going home until we know your mother's boyfriend is completely out of the picture."

"You know!?"

Jenny exchanged another uncertain look with Giles. "I think we've figured most of it out, yeah."

"Oh God…"

"Buffy, listen to me." Giles held her shoulders gently, forcing her to look at him. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. None of this is your fault. He's a human- barely- who did a horrendous thing. The fact that you didn't fight back speaks to the strength of your moral character, not a weakness. You have _nothing_ to feel badly about."

Buffy burst into tears. Giles instantly drew her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she clung to him, sobbing into his shirt. He looked up, meeting Jenny's gaze and she was unsurprised to see a fierce anger smouldering here. All she could do was reach out to rub soothing circles on the girl's back, swallowing thickly.

"I should get her home. It's late." Giles murmured once Buffy's sobs had subsided in intensity. Jenny bit her lip.

"Rupert? Please don't take this the wrong way, but if it was ever discovered that you'd had a teenaged student alone in your house overnight…" she trailed off awkwardly, looking uncomfortable.

"Ah."

"Sorry."

"No… no, you're quite right. Questions may be raised." He conceded, somewhat stiffly. Then he raised an eyebrow at her. "I suppose you had better spend the night with me then."

Eyes wide, she spluttered slightly, flushing red. "Funny. You're a funny guy." She managed eventually, hand on her hip as she glared at him. He looked innocent, as Buffy turned her head to watch them, still leaning against her watcher. "I'll follow you back." Jenny jabbed a thumb in the direction of her own car, shaking her head slightly as she departed from the two. That man was just full of surprises.


	2. Chapter 2

They all arrived in Giles' home in one piece, but the issue of sleeping arrangements was immediately apparent to the two adults. Neither one should share a bed with Buffy, for obvious reasons, but there was only one sofa which they immediately began to bicker over.

"You're a guest, you take the sofa." Giles insisted. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"I'm also smaller. I'll fit into the recliner better."

"That's not the point!"

"Of course it is!"

Buffy watched them from the doorway, holding a bundle of her bloodied clothes in her arms. She was wearing some of Giles's and felt slightly like a child playing dress up. "Why I don't I take the sofa and you two share the bed?" she suggested tentatively.

"NO." Both adults said at once.

"You have concussion and severe bruising- you're taking the bed." Giles continued with a note of finality in his voice. Buffy shuffled on the spot, looking uncomfortable.

"Here honey, let me take those." Jenny crossed the room to take the clothes, looking at them sceptically. "I'm not sure I'll be able to do anything with the top, but I'll give it a try."

"You don't have to-" Buffy began but Jenny waved her off.

"I want to. Go on up to bed, it's late."

The blonde girl nodded, heading towards the stairs but paused at the bottom. "Thank you." She said quietly. "Both of you."

Giles smiled at her. "You are more than welcome, Buffy. Good night."

"Night."

She vanished upstairs and Jenny went to the kitchen, filling the sink with cold water to soak Buffy's top in. She felt rather than heard Rupert's presence behind her, glancing at him questioningly.

"Scotch?" he offered.

"God, yes please."

The glass was waiting for her when she emerged and she curled next to him on the sofa, smiling at the vision he presented with his sleeves rolled up and his shirt unbuttoned at the collar. "You know," she began softly "with all this going on I only just realised that I haven't apologised yet."

"Apologised? Jenny, you have nothing to apologise for!"

"Yes, I do." She reached out to place her hand over his. "I was very harsh the other day. I know how bad you feel about putting me in danger before and-"

She cut off when the phone rang, both turning to look at it. "I'm willing to bet that's Mrs Summers…" Giles said grimly, leaning over to pick up the phone. When he replaced it straight away, Jenny raised an eyebrow and he shrugged sheepishly.

"Jenny… we've both had quite a day and I find myself tired of dancing around, so unless you have any objections I'm going to kiss you now." Rupert looked at her, quietly enjoying the surprise that flashed across her face before her gaze darkened and her lips curved upwards.

"No objections here." She murmured, and almost instantly found his mouth on hers, soft at first but gradually growing in intensity.

When they both needed breath, they parted and she rested her forehead on his, a smile playing across her lips. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"Only if I am." He kissed her again, over and over until she felt dizzy, one hand clutching him closer while the other struggled to keep her glass upright. Finally she tore herself away, breathless and giggling.

"You, Rupert Giles, are a dangerous man." She accused, jabbing a finger at him. He grinned back at her, looking a little out of breath himself as he pulled her in to lie against him as he leant backwards on the cushions.

They remained like that for a while, talking quietly about everything and nothing until Jenny fell silent. Rupert glanced down, smiling when he realised she'd fallen asleep. Carefully, he took her now-empty glass from her and put it on the floor, sliding it backwards so he wouldn't kick it by accident before he reached behind him to click the lamp off, dimming the room a little. And then he shifted to a flatter position and allowed his own eyes to drift closed.

Only to be awoke a little while later by a piercing scream.

"Bloody hell!" he jerked upright, disorientated for a long moment and inadvertently dislodging Jenny in the process. She realised what was happening a split second before he did, however, and bolted for the stairs.

By the time he'd followed her up, she already had a sobbing Buffy in her arms and was murmuring soothingly to her. Giles perched on Buffy's other side, feeling rather helpless in the face of her distress and so could only stroke her hair gently, exchanging a worried look with Jenny.

Buffy pulled away from her at one point, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"You have nothing to apologise for." Giles said adamantly, pushing one of her bandages back before it could get wet.

"I'm not mad, Giles! I'm not." She gasped out. "Please don't let them send me back!"

"Send you back where?"

But Buffy had dissolved in another wave of sobs and didn't hear him. "What if he hurts my mom? He was so strong… he'll kill her if he hits her like me! Oh God…"

"Honey, your mom is fine." Jenny soothed, hoping that was indeed the case. Buffy continued to weep and Giles shifted so the he was embracing her too; after a while, the sobs that racked her body were not quite so violent and Buffy began to calm, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Buffy?" he questioned softly. "Where are you so afraid of being sent back to?"

There was a long silence. "Buffy?"

"… mental institution…" she whispered.

Both adults' jaws dropped.

"When you were in an institution?" Jenny asked, horrified.

"After Merrick died and I blew up the gym." Buffy roughly wiped tears from her face. "I told my parents everything. About Vampires, about slaying, destiny, the whole kit and caboodle. They didn't believe me… who would?" she scoffed bitterly. "They shipped me off to an institution. I wasn't there long but… I'm not mad, Giles, Miss Calendar, I'm _not_!"

"Of course you're not!" Jenny agreed instantly. Giles nodded.

"You're not going anywhere, Buffy, I promise. We won't let them."

She sniffed a little, still trembling but as neither adult showed any inclination to move she relaxed into them. "Do you two know you've been speaking in plurals all evening?" she asked after a while of silence.

"Hm?"

"You've both been using 'we' instead of 'I'." Buffy tilted her head back to look at Miss Calendar. "Is there something I should know?"

"You already knew we're together." Jenny rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"But you weren't for a while there. Are you back together?"

"What's with the sudden interest in our love lives?" Giles questioned.

"You're good together." Buffy shrugged one shoulder, stifling a yawn. "You smile more when Miss Calendar's around. Even I can see that."

She snuggled deeper into their embrace, eyes drifting closed and not realising the effect she'd had on the two blushing adults above her. Jenny smirked at him, eyes alight as he studiously avoided her gaze.

 ** _***BtVS***_**

Jenny was woken the next morning by an uncomfortable pressure in her abdomen- it didn't take her long to realise that both she and Rupert had fallen asleep with Buffy, and the girl's elbow was now digging into her stomach. Gently, so as not to wake the slumbering teen she moved her arm to a more relaxed position and sat up, peering at the clock and grimacing when she realised she needed to be at work soon.

As quietly as she could she slipped off of the bed, ducking into the bathroom briefly. She emerged and immediately started grinning at the sight the slayer and her watcher made. The blonde was nestled under the covers, using Rupert as a pillow while he lay on top of them, his arm tightly around her and looking for all the world like a protective father. Wincing at every creak of the floorboards, she crept downstairs where she dug around the desk to find paper and a pen, quickly scribbling a note.

 _Rupert,_

 _I woke in time for work this morning but didn't have the heart to wake either of you. I'll sign you both in sick for today when I get to the office._

 _I'll see if I can enlist Willow and Xander in collecting some of Buffy's things- call if she wants anything in particular. I'll bring dinner in with me tonight… don't forget to eat in the meantime!_

 _Jenny x_

Glancing at the clock, she did the maths in her head- if she drove a little faster than was probably advisable, she had time to go home and jump in the shower before she'd be late to her first lesson. She quickly returned upstairs to put the note on the bedside table and turn Rupert's alarm off before she gathered her bag and crept out of the house to begin her mad dash to school.

Sure enough, she made it into school a little over five minutes before the bell would go off, rapidly making her way into the office and giving a silent thanks when she found it empty. As fast as she could, she began to thumb her way through the messages- there was one from Mrs Summers, requesting that the school contact her to inform her if Buffy was in school today or not. She balled the paper up and hid it in her pocket just as footsteps sounded behind her.

"Cutting it close today, Miss Calendar?" the admin lady nodded towards her bag.

"One of those days." Jenny smiled airily. "I took a phone call for you- Buffy Summers is ill and won't be in today."

"Was it her mother who called?"

Jenny hesitated. "I believe so." She answered evasively. The woman nodded, scribbling a note down before looking up curiously.

"Was there something else?"

"Ah, my original reason for being here. Mr Giles asked me to inform you that he won't be in today either."

"Oh?"

"Food poisoning." Jenny shrugged, looking sympathetic. "He sounded awful on the phone."

The woman smirked. "And he phoned you instead of the office?"

Shoot. She hadn't thought this far ahead. "I think the fever made him delirious- he dialled the wrong number."

"Right…"

The bell rang, and Jenny's head shot up in relief. "Gotta run!"

Her first classes passed in a bit of a haze, but as expected, a panicked Willow and Xander ran up to her after her third class, babbling about Giles and Buffy being missing and the library closed. She soothed them the best she could, assuring them that the pair were fine and hadn't been kidnapped by demons before whispering for them to meet her in the library at lunchtime, shooing them out as her next class began to file in.

When she arrived, having bypassed the closed sign, it was to find the two teens already waiting for her along with Cordelia.

"What gives?" Xander demanded. She quickly explained what had happened the previous night, giving as few details as possible- if Buffy wanted them to know, she would tell them.

"That's horrible!" Willow cried. "Poor Buffy."

"He seemed so nice." Xander looked a little stunned. Cordelia was uncharacteristically silent.

"Listen, do any of you know if you could get into Buffy's room to pack some things for her?" Jenny inquired. They exchanged looks.

"Buffy climbs through the window to sneak in and out." Xander supplied helpfully. Jenny raised an eyebrow.

"Buffy's the slayer."

"An excellent point."

"Ooh, ooh- Angel could!" Willow said excitedly. "Except… oh, it's day. Mrs Summers will be home by the time it's dark."

Cordelia sighed heavily. "Honestly. Can't any of you pick a lock?"

They all stared at her.

"Just me then. We can go now- we have a free next so I'll be back before history." She jumped up, grabbing her bag and walking out.

"Um…" Xander stared after.

"As your teacher, I have no idea what's happening." Jenny said, a little perturbed. "That said, try not to leave anything precious behind. She might not have another chance to get it back."

Willow sighed. "Poor Buffy…" she repeated sadly.

"Are you losers coming or what?!" Cordelia stuck her head back through the doors and within seconds Jenny found herself alone in the library.

"Those kids are something else."


	3. Chapter 3

True to their word, the three teens had returned to school before their next lessons and Jenny had found herself with a large overnight bag and a box alongside her own bag, both of which Buffy was ecstatic to have- especially after the police had visited to interview her earlier that afternoon. That night she'd fallen asleep on the sofa while sorting through the clothes her friends had brought her, leaving the adults to share the bed. They'd taken it in turns to get up with Buffy when she awoke screaming, so when the alarm rang the next morning, it was met with minimal groaning.

Jenny had been more prepared for a sleepover this time and commandeered the bathroom while Rupert stumbled downstairs to boil the kettle and eat something, the pair seamlessly switching fifteen minutes later without waking Buffy.

"You still think she should go to school today?" Jenny asked quietly when Rupert reappeared fully dressed with damp hair. He nodded.

"Joyce Summers will have a hard time accusing us of kidnapping if Buffy is attending school as normal." He answered, pouring a cup of tea. "Not to mention I think seeing her friends will do her the world of good."

"I agree. I'm just not sure whether she's up for coping with the questions and stares…"

"Buffy is stronger than she appears. And we will, of course, be there to help."

Jenny nodded, draining her cup. "I'll wake her up then."

Giles remained where he was, finishing his breakfast and washing the dishes. Despite living alone for the majority of his adult life, he found he enjoyed being able to listen to the sounds of other people getting ready for the day. That was until ten minutes later, once the shower had switched off and he'd heard Buffy pad back into the living room.

"Rupert? We may have a problem…"

His stomach sank. "What is it?"

Buffy was sat on the sofa, Jenny standing in front of her but when he entered she stepped to the side, allowing him to see the young blonde.

"What?"

She sighed. "Her face, Rupert."

He looked again. "Ah." The bruising and purpling had almost vanished, her eye and jaw yellowed but with very little sign of swelling. Buffy looked at him helplessly.

"How am I going to explain this to the police?" she questioned. "Two weeks of healing in two days? They said they'd be back to ask more questions…"

"This is slightly problematic." He admitted.

"Make up." Jenny said suddenly.

"Make up?"

She nodded. "We darken the injuries artificially and gradually lighten it over the next couple of days. Then we can pass it off as just being really fast healing."

"Oh God, I'm going to look like a complete freak!" Buffy moaned.

"I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice- with the police involved we have to be careful." Giles looked sympathetic. "We'd better hurry- we need to leave in less than half an hour."

There were a few false starts and several redoes, but between the three of them they managed to make it look like Buffy had purple bruises covered in concealer, all within the half hour time limit. "Just don't rub your face!" Jenny reminded her as they walked into school. "Get Willow or Xander to check you haven't smeared it if necessary."

"I will." Buffy was already aware of the stares and whispers she was receiving.

"If you need anything, come and find me." Giles touched her arm gently, waiting for her nod before he smiled weakly at Jenny and peeled off towards the library.

"Are you okay?"

Buffy shook her head. "Why is my heart beating so fast? I shouldn't be scared of school."

"Honey, slayer or not you went through a terrible thing-"

"But it wasn't that bad!" Buffy hissed in frustration. Jenny pulled her to the side of the corridor.

"What? You had a serious head injury, remember?"

"But other people get beaten up, or put into comas or even killed!" the blonde argued. "I was hit once!"

"That doesn't negate the experience!" Jenny told her fiercely. "One hit, one hundred hits- it doesn't matter! You were placed in a dangerous situation with a dangerous person in the one place in the world you should feel safe. Frankly, you're coping very well."

Buffy was silent for a few moments. "She didn't believe me." She said eventually.

"Who?"

"My mother." Buffy looked up at her, tears in her eyes. "When I told her he'd threatened to slap me, she didn't believe me. Not even for a moment. I told her, I told her I didn't like him, that he wasn't what he seemed but she believed him over me! How could she-?"

She choked, falling silent as Jenny squeezed her hand "I'm sorry."

"What if he hurts her?"

Jenny bit her lip, not knowing what to say. As the crowd around them began to thin, an idea occurred to her. "Would you like me to check on her for you?" she ventured. Buffy blinked, then looked hopeful.

"Would you?"

Jenny nodded. "She doesn't know me- I'll go to the gallery after school."

"Thank you!" Buffy threw her arms around her. Just then, the bell rang and Jenny looked alarmed.

"Dammit, I can't be late again- I'm the teacher!" the pair dashed along the corridor, Jenny taking Buffy into her lesson so she didn't get into trouble before hurrying to her own class.

 ** _***BtVS***_**

Buffy ducked her head so that her hair hid her face as she scurried towards the library at lunchtime. The stares and whispers had been about as bad as she'd been expecting but so far no one had outright commented on the state of her face, something she was eager to avoid. A group of boys were swaggering down the corridor towards her and she drew to the side to let them pass her, so intent on keeping her face hidden that she didn't notice the footsteps coming up behind her.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder. "Miss Summers."

Buffy shrieked, throwing herself away from the man behind her and stumbling before she righted herself and brought her arms up, moments away from lashing out until someone caught her elbows, preventing her from striking

"It's Jenny, don't panic." Buffy exhaled the breath she'd been holding as she registered Miss Calendar's voice, not stepping away from the older woman while her heart pounded and her hands shook as she realised how close she'd come to attacking a human. "Principal Snyder, do you make it a habit to terrify your female students?"

Calmer, Buffy looked around to see them man in question with a slightly stunned look on his face. When he caught sight of her apparent bruises, his eyes widened. "It was not my intention to startle you." He said stiffly.

"Then might I suggest you use your words instead of your hands?" Jenny's tone was icy cold as she glared at him, slipping an arm around Buffy to guide her away. "Come on."

She let the teacher lead her away, fingers gripping her bag so tightly her knuckles were white. "Oh God, I almost hit him. What's wrong with me?" she asked weakly.

"Nothing." Miss Calendar answered firmly. "He shouldn't have grabbed you like that."

"It wouldn't have bothered me before. I didn't even think, I just got ready to fight…"

She glanced at the girl, at a loss of what to say and so settled for touching her shoulder supportively before she pushed the door to the library open, stepping sideways to allow Buffy to enter first. But she was barely inside herself when Buffy stopped dead and she stumbled into her.

"Buffy! What-?" she cut off when she saw the reason for the abrupt halt- the three adults they'd apparently interrupted mid-argument judging by the looks on Rupert's face. She didn't need to hear Buffy's breathing speed up or see her face go white to work out who the other two were and without thinking she'd stepped in front of Buffy, shielding her from them. "Rupert?"

"Jenny, would you take the children out of here please?" his voice was filled with barely restrained anger, his fists clenched at his side. It was only then that Jenny realised that Willow, Xander and Cordelia were stood behind the table, all of them wide-eyed and a little frightened.

"Come on, you three." She called to them, thankful when they didn't argue and simply picked up their bags and rounded the table.

"Buffy!" Mrs Summers stepped towards them. "Honey, please listen to me-"

"Joyce, let me deal with this." The man patted her on the shoulder and rounded on Jenny and Buffy, beginning to move towards them. "Now Buffy-"

He didn't get the chance to finish, because Buffy had gasped and immediately retreated backwards, grabbing hold of Jenny's sleeve to bring her along to. She tripped as she was pulled, remaining on her feet through sheer luck.

"Buffy, he is _not_ going to get near you, I swear." She whispered, the girl still clinging to her sleeve. When she glanced up, she blinked in surprise to find the other three teenagers stood defensively in front of them.

"Mr Buchanan, you're not coming anywhere near her." Xander said firmly. Ted's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Now see here kids-" he began, but Cordelia cut him off.

"Tell me, how interested would the police be to know that you're here? I'm fairly certain you're not supposed to come near Buffy… Giles, perhaps we should call them to check?" she suggested sweetly.

"Now young lady-!"

"Oh for goodness sake, this is ridiculous!" Joyce exclaimed. "Buffy, honey please, Ted told me what happened- we can just go to the police and admit you exaggerated and all this can be over!"

"Exaggerated?" Buffy questioned in a low voice. Jenny glanced at her uncertainly as she stepped out, her fists clenched as she motioned for her friends to move aside. "Did I exaggerate this, mom?"

She raised her head at her defiantly, her hair pushed back to show the purpling that marred her face. "Did I exaggerate the eight stitches in my head? Or the fracture in my jaw? Or perhaps the bruises all down my side and back?"

Joyce was staring at her in horror, her own face chalk white as her hand flew to cover her mouth.

"Or perhaps I exaggerated all the times I've woken up screaming over the past two nights? Maybe I exaggerated the concussion that had me walking in circles! Perhaps the bloodstains on my clothes were paint and the possible bleed on the brain is was imaginary! Maybe I just exaggerated the x-ray and MRI results!" Buffy grew louder and louder, tears streaming down her face as her mother just stood there, hand still raised.

"Jenny!" Giles said sharply. She nodded, slipping an arm around Buffy's waist and gesturing for the other three to follow them out. At a loss of where else to take them, she steered them to her own classroom where Buffy collapsed into Willow's arms, sobbing. Xander was grinding his teeth, pacing up and down.

"Man, this is killing me! That bastard…" he muttered more obscenities under his breath, kicking a chair.

"Xander, don't take it out on my furniture." Miss Calendar reprimanded tiredly.

"I can't believe he's not in jail!"

"Xander, shut up!" Willow hissed.

"What Will? It's the truth! He belongs in jail… I can't believe the police haven't locked him away!"

Cordelia scoffed. "Because the Sunnydale police are just great." She said sarcastically.

"Stupid police. Stupid Ted. Stupid... ooh, cookies!"

He tore into the packet he'd found in his bag, not noticing Cordelia roll her eyes. "Boys." She muttered in disgust.

"He has a point though." Willow said quietly. "I can't believe nothing showed up on my search. No criminal record, not so much as a parking ticket. The guy's like, citizen of the year!"

Xander reached out to pat her shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Wills. Everything'll be fine."

She stared at him. "Don't sweat it?"

"We'll work it out." He shrugged, ruffling her hair. "No worries."

"Thanks for the support Xan." Buffy muttered from her place on Willow's shoulder. Cordelia had crossed her arms, looking at him quizzically.

"What happened to 'This is killing me?'"

"Worrying isn't gonna solve any problems." He tossed a cookie in the air, caught it in his mouth as the four others in the room gaped at him. Until Willow reached out and broke off part of the cookie. Cordelia stared.

"You don't think-?"

"Uh-huh." Willow nodded. Jenny looked confused.

"Okay, what am I missing?"

"Ted baked these." Willow explained, shooting out of her chair and knocking Buffy to the side. "Sorry!"

"You think he laced them with something?" Jenny questioned, then looked at Xander. "Never mind. We need to figure out with what." She grabbed her jacket, glancing at the kids. "Cordelia, can you tell Rupert what's going on? Be careful!" she called as the brunette rushed out the door. "You three with me."

"Where are we going?" Buffy inquired.

Jenny and Willow looked at each other. "Chemistry labs!"

 ** _***BtVS***_**

When Giles and Cordelia entered the labs, the group were sitting looking warily at a cookie which lay on the table.

"Willow, that infernal machine of yours turned something up." He said, holding up a piece of paper. Cordelia beamed.

"Got some personal records, marriage certificates and an address."

Xander rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Excellent! Between whatever we find and the cookies, we'll have some real evidence! Who's up for some snooping?"

"Cookies?" Giles questioned.

"I want to come too." Buffy said.

"That's a bad idea." Willow winced. "If you got caught…"

"It'd provide 'Uncle Ted' with ammunition against you." Xander agreed. Buffy looked unhappy.

"Cookies?" Giles repeated, looking between them all.

"I'll explain." Jenny volunteered. "Kids, you can go after school."

"But Miss Calendar-!"

"After." She said firmly.

Despite being unhappy about it the three did as she said and waited until their lessons had finished while Buffy and the two adults headed home to wait. But several hours went by and darkness fell, and there was still no word from the three.

Jenny was pacing up and down nervously. "They should be back by now." She whispered to Rupert, who nodded anxiously.

"I just hope they didn't get caught." He muttered, glancing over to where Buffy was sat at the dining table doing homework.

"What are you two whispering about?" she called.

"Nothing!" they answered in unison. She snorted.

"Oh right, that was convincing."

Jenny gave her a weak smile, retreating into the kitchen and flicking the kettle on. "They're good kids." She said softly when she heard Rupert enter behind her. "Amazing friends. They're so close… it's easy to forget they haven't all grown up together."

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, studying her with worried eyes. She turned and leant into him with a small sigh, face buried in his chest.

"What's wrong? It's not just that they haven't returned yet, there's something else…"

She shook her head. "It can wait."

"Jenny…"

"Please Rupert." She tilted her head to look at him. "Not now."

"Why not?"

"Because… because when I tell you, I think you and Buffy are going to hate me. And right now… right now, Buffy can't deal with that. _I_ can't deal with that." She swallowed the lump in her throat as he reached up to brush her hair back.

"I could never hate you." He told her, a little amused at the idea. She didn't smile back.

"You say that now." She murmured. He opened his mouth to argue back but was interrupted by a frantic knocking at the door. They both looked around hopefully, Giles crossing to it in a few short strides and wrenching it open.

"Oh thank God!" he exclaimed. He stepped sideways to allow Willow, Xander and Cordelia to enter.

"Where have you been?" exclaimed Jenny in relief. "We were worried!"

"You won't believe what we found!" Xander said excitedly. Willow rushed to Buffy, hugging her tightly.

"You won't have to worry about Ted again! There's no way he's staying out of jail!"

Giles sighed, cleaning his glasses before pinning the three with a pointed look. "What's going on?"

Talking over each other, they eventually managed to tell the story of the hidden rooms, the four wives and the dead bodies. "So then, we called the police from a phone box but we couldn't tell them who we were or how we knew so we had to lie… I wasn't very good at the part." Willow admitted sheepishly.

"Which is why it was a good thing I was there." Cordelia shot her a look. "We waited across the street to make sure the police found the room and the bodies."

"And then they cordoned the street off so we had to wait until dark to sneak out." Xander continued. Willow nodded vigorously.

"Ooh, but we saw the morgue van so they definitely found them! There was one weird thing though… his first marriage was in 1957."

Jenny frowned. "That's not possible… he wasn't old enough."

"Even if he looked younger than he is, that's a rather large discrepancy." Giles agreed, looking troubled at the thought.

"Um, excuse me? There is no way that man was in his sixties." Cordelia tossed her hair back. "Not one grey hair?"

"So what, he did something to make himself younger?" Buffy questioned in confusion.

Willow made a face. "Why would he only go back a few years?" she pointed out. "Wouldn't you go back to your twenties or thirties?"

Jenny looked thoughtful, leaning back against the arm of the soda. "Maybe he managed to stop himself ageing?"

"Does it even matter?" Xander pushed up from the wall he was leaning on. "The police will arrest him, he'll go to jail, problem solved."

Giles inclined his head. "It's possible you won't even have to testify, Buffy."

"I'm all for that." She smiled tentatively. "Shame though- might have gotten me out of algebra homework." She glared at the book in front of her. Willow laughed.

"Come on, i'll help you."

"Cordy have you done the English yet?"

"Oh my God Xander! Lazy much? It's due in tomorrow, didn't you think?"

"Then all the more reason to help me!"

"Fine, but you're not copying!"

Jenny chuckled as the four splayed themselves across the floor and buried themselves in schoolwork, bickering and joking at the same time. Rupert went to make tea, pulling her into his embrace once they'd both sat and Jenny allowed herself to relax into him as she cradled her cup, watching the kids.

"You want to tell me now?" he asked quietly. She shook her head.

"Not tonight."

For a little longer, she wanted to hold onto this. Every minute that passed convinced her that coming clean was the right thing- these past few days with Buffy had shown her the difference between what her family had been like and what it should be. All she'd ever known was expectations, disappointments and demands- these kids had shown her differently. She only hoped she wouldn't lose it all when they learnt the truth about her.


	4. Chapter 4

"So then, Toby turned around to her and said- it's _captain_!" Willow and Buffy burst into laughter. Around them, students dodged the giggling girls, who were hanging onto each other as they walked in an effort to stay upright.

"What's so funny?" Xander came up behind them, grinning in amusement.

"-captain-!" Buffy gasped out, causing him to look at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Toby!" Willow managed.

" _Huh?"_

But they both just continued to laugh helplessly, both taking one of his arms as they began to descend the stairs. "How did your physics test go?" Willow asked him as she sobered.

"Oh, I failed it." He nodded confidently as they rounded the stairwell.

"You, little lady, are in a world of trouble."

Buffy gasped as she saw Ted standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh boy." Xander muttered, stepping backwards and drawing both girls with him. But the crush of students on the stairs behind them meant that they couldn't retreat the way they came and Ted was advancing up the stairs towards them.

"You think it was funny? Setting the police on me? Telling them lies?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Lies?" she questioned incredulously. "You fractured my jaw and gave me a concussion!"

"Now we both know I was only disciplining you- goodness knows you seem to need it." He was right in front of them, the groups of students around them forcing them together as they stopped to watch. "But the fun's over now. I need to get going."

Buffy looked at him warily. "Get going…?"

"You see- you mom and me? We're going to be very happy together, somewhere away from here. Don't worry, she'll have everything she needs. But that only works if you're no longer around to tell lies." He wagged his finger at her.

"Lies? You killed your wives! Four of them!"

"See, now this? This is exactly the type of thing I'm talking about." He swung at her, but she was ready and ducked, shoving Xander and Willow to the side as she stepped backwards.

"You're not taking my mom!" she kicked out at him, huffing when he barely stumbled. He laughed.

"Do you really think you can stop me?"

He lunged at her and she ducked under his arm, scrambling backwards a few steps when he immediately spun around and made to grab her. She evaded the full-body grip he was aiming for, but he managed to catch her upper arm and drag her closer to him, slamming her against the wall. "She promised me forever. I'm going to have it."

His hands were around her throat, squeezing and try as she might she couldn't break his grip. Willow and Xander were both behind him, pulling at him but he didn't seem to even notice… at least until Xander took Willow's rucksack, filled with books, and swung it at his head. It snapped to the side and he was knocked away, his grip loosening just enough for Buffy to slide her hands under his and break away.

He turned, glaring at her friends who slowly backed away with wide eyes. "Oh dear…" Willow whimpered.

"Leave them alone!" Buffy reached out to pull him away from them. It worked- he spun to face her instead.

"Little lady, I've had just about enough of you!" he lunged at her. Without thinking, she threw herself to the side, skidding along the floor as she heard glass shatter behind her. Her mouth dropped open when she realised that Ted's momentum had taken him straight through the glass window.

"Oh my gosh!" Willow peeked out as Xander held out a hand to help Buffy to her feet.

"Is he…?" Buffy questioned uneasily.

"I don't know." she admitted, peering down. "He isn't moving. And he seems to be… glittering."

"Huh?" Buffy looked down, confused. "Is that… metal?"

The three exchanged a long look, then spun on their heels and pushed past the other gawking students to the outside of the school. They reached the spot where Ted had fallen, worming their way through the small crowd that had already gathered.

"… Did we know that Ted was a robot?" Xander questioned. The glass had sliced deeply enough to reveal the metal face underneath, and what looked like motor oil was oozing out underneath him.

"Oh my God." Buffy breathed.

"That explains a lot." Willow remarked. They both looked at her strangely. "Okay, it explains nothing." She admitted. "This is very confusing."

"Buffy?" Giles came up behind them, closely followed by Miss Calendar. "We heard what happened- are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She assured him. "Which is more than I can say for Ted."

"Good lord…"

Sirens drew closer and closer to the school. "Should we hide him?" Xander questioned, looking around.

"We can't. Too many people." Miss Calendar said quietly. "We'll just have to hope the usual obliviousness and disinclination of asking questions works out."

Buffy was looking at the robot. "That explains why he was so strong." She commented softly.

"Hey! Synder alert!" Xander hissed suddenly.

"Time to go." Giles quickly ushered them away. Behind them, the police pulled up and Synder began to order everyone back to class.

"My mom was dating a robot." Buffy said in a dazed voice once they'd entered the library. Willow giggled.

"Sorry." She apologised when everyone stared. "It's just… I thought I was the only one that happened to."

Xander snorted. "Welcome to the hellmouth."

"The police will tell her, right?" Buffy questioned.

"Excuse me m'am- were you aware your psycho, abusive boyfriend was a robot masquerading as a human?" Xander imitated in a deep voice.

"Xander!" Miss Calendar scolded. But Buffy giggled, only laughing harder when they all looked at her.

"This is my life." She slid down into her seat, head in her hands as she shook with laughter. "Apocalypses, vampires and robot boyfriends."

"You couldn't make it up." Xander commented cheerfully. Willow began to laugh as well, leaving the two adults gaping at the three of them.

"It must be a teenage thing." Jenny shook her head and turned away. "What'd you think will happen now?"

"As Buffy suggested- I imagine the police will inform Mrs Summers about everything, the robot will be disposed of and everyone will go back to pretending nothing happened." The last bit was said somewhat dryly.

"And Buffy?"

"She will have a home with me for as long as she wishes. But I suspect her mother will want her to return home as well." Giles frowned slightly. They both fell silent for a moment as they watched the three chat.

"Do you think her mother will commit her again?" Jenny asked softly. His face grew grim.

"I honestly don't know. I believe she'll probably assume that anything that Ted told her was a lie, and ignore anything to the contrary."

"You wouldn't let her if she tried, right?" Jenny checked warily. He frowned at her.

"Of course not."

She ducked her head in embarrassment. "Sorry. It's just… Buffy's so full of life. The thought of her locked away and sedated…"

His gaze softened. "I feel the same." He admitted quietly, slipping an arm around her.

"Giles, Miss Calendar! Are you up for it?" Xander called.

"Up for what?"

"Celebratory group dinner tonight! I'm thinking burgers."

"Didn't we do that last week?" Buffy made a face.

"Well, if Rupert doesn't mind us commandeering his kitchen, why don't we cook?" Jenny suggested. "We've had a take-away for the past few days."

"I'll help!" Willow volunteered. Buffy nodded her agreement and they all looked hopefully at Giles.

"Why not." He agreed, masking a groan at the thought of the upcoming mess.

And so that evening found all of the scoobies at Giles' home once again. Cordelia refused to cook, choosing to appoint herself DJ for the night and Buffy was sent out of the kitchen after one too many mishaps. But eventually, all six managed to sit down to dinner.

"Loved the sauce." Xander grinned, patting his stomach once he'd put his knife and fork down. Jenny smiled, shooting a triumphant look towards Giles.

"Thank you Xander."

"Suck up!" Cordelia hissed. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"I'm getting a refill, would anyone else like one?" Giles offered, standing. They all declined and he vanished into the kitchen just as the doorbell rang. "Could you get that, Jenny?"

She did so, blinking in surprise at who she found waiting on the other side of the door. "Mrs Summers."

"Hello. I was wondering if- well, hoping that Buffy is here?" the woman asked tentatively. Jenny hesitated. "Please, I'm not looking to cause trouble."

Jenny looked over her shoulder- the kids had heard who was at the door and Buffy was pale, but nodded slowly at the questioning look she was given. "Come in." She stepped to the side, allowing Joyce entry. The older woman paused when she saw the scene in front of her, not expecting to be faced with all the kids at the end of what looked like a family meal. Buffy had risen from her seat and was standing with her arms wrapped around her, watching her mother warily.

"You three, could you clear the table and wash up?" Giles leant against the wall, making it clear he wasn't going anywhere but the kids rose obediently and with minimal grumbling, disappearing into the kitchen.

"What do you want mom?" Buffy asked tiredly.

"Buffy… I'm sorry."

Buffy looked at her for a long moment. "Sorry for what? For inviting a robot into your life… our lives? For accusing me of lying? For not believing me? For picking a man you'd known a matter of weeks over your own daughter?"

"Buffy!" she exclaimed in frustration. "I made a mistake. News flash- your mom isn't perfect."

"I'm not expecting you to be perfect! But… you didn't believe me. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

"I can imagine…"

"No you can't." Buffy shook her head. "You really can't. He threatened to slap me, then thirty seconds later had his arm around you. And you didn't believe me. If I hadn't run, what would have happened? I could have had a brain injury and he would have left me to die on my bedroom floor. I was scared to be in my own house, mom, and the one person in the world I thought I could trust with anything-"

She broke off, looking away as tears threatened to fall. Joyce had no such qualms, crying openly. "Baby, I'm so sorry."

"Is that really all you think of me?" Buffy asked in a whisper. "Am I just a liar as far as you're concerned?"

"No! Honey, no!" Joyce denied fiercely. Buffy roughly swiped away the tears on her face.

"Would you have put me in an institution again?" she demanded. "On his say so?"

"Again?" she heard Willow whisper from the doorway of the kitchen but paid them no heed, eyes fixed on her mother's face.

"No, honey…"

"He threatened it. Complete obedience, or he would have me locked up. Tell me, mom, how much convincing would that have taken? Didn't take too much last time, did it?" Buffy laughed humourlessly. Joyce shook her head soundlessly, crying uncontrollably.

"Buffy." Jenny murmured gently, glancing pointedly at Joyce. "You have every right to be angry, but don't forget she was drugged too. More than the others." Buffy sagged, because she had forgotten. All at once, the anger seemed to drain out of her and without it, she finally registered the state her mother was in. Instead of continuing, she turned away as she struggled to control her own tears. Giles crossed to her, rubbing her arms gently in comfort.

"Buffy I'm sorry." Joyce whispered brokenly.

"I'm sorry too mom." Buffy leant into Giles, turning her head to look at her. "You deserve a perfect daughter, a better daughter. I'm so sorry I can't be her. I tried, I really did. But… I'm just me. Just Buffy. I'm sorry I can't be more."

Giles hands tightened reflexively around her arms.

"I've never wanted more." Joyce denied. "You're my daughter, I love you just the way you are." She came round, tilting Buffy's head up to look at her. "I love you." She repeated. "And I messed up, I know I did. And you cannot imagine how sorry I am. I'll make it up to you, I swear. Please, please baby, give me the opportunity."

Buffy looked at her exhaustedly. "You can't just make it up." She whispered. "It's not a case of earn so many points and gain forgiveness. It doesn't work like that."

"I know." Her mother reached out, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "I do. But Buffy… I don't know what else to do." She choked. "I don't know how to fix this."

Buffy felt like being sick when she realised that neither did she.

"Buffy?" Xander said timidly, waiting until his friend looked at him before continuing. "I know I don't have much right to interfere here, but... I had a handful of cookies and it affected me enough that you were all able to tell the difference in minutes. Your mom's been eating at whole meals with that stuff for days…"

Buffy's eyes widened. "Could it make her sick?" she questioned in alarm. Joyce was looking more and more confused, her eyes wide.

"No, if she'd come close to an overdose we would know by now." Giles assured her.

"What are you all talking about?" Joyce asked, a little panicked. "Why would I be sick? What's going on? And how would you all know anyway?"

Buffy looked at her, studying her for a long moment. "Mom…" she croaked, swiping the tears on her cheeks away. "I…"

She turned helplessly to Giles, who had the same deer-in-headlights look as her. It was Jenny who stepped forward. "Buffy, why don't you go get cleaned up?" she suggested gently, drawing Buffy over to the bathroom and lowering her voice. "I assume you don't want her to know everything?"

Buffy shook her head. "Not right now."

"Okay." Jenny nudged her away and she obediently went in, washing her face and reapplying the smeared make-up the best she could, grateful her mother apparently hadn't noticed that her bruises had streaks in them.

By the time she emerged Joyce was sat on the couch looking pale, tear tracks on her cheeks. When she spotted Buffy, she jumped up and brought her into a crushing hug. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry Buffy." She repeated over and over, clutching at her tightly.

For a moment, Buffy was stiff. But then, all at once she realised she was tired of fighting, tired of blaming. And she finally admitted to herself the one, bone-deep desire she'd had through everything over the past few days.

She just wanted her mom.

She crumpled into her arms, burying her face in her shoulder and breathing in the familiar perfume. "Love you." She mumbled. Joyce hugged her tighter, closing her eyes briefly.

"I love you too, baby. More than you'll ever know. I swear, I'll always believe you, always. I'm so sorry."

"I know. But next time you want to date, Willow and Miss Calendar have to vet him first." Buffy told her. Joyce let out a tearful laugh, kissing her head as she closed her eyes in relief.

"Oh, I don't think there'll be any danger of that for a long time."

"Mrs Summers, we were just about to have dessert." Giles told her. "Won't you join us?"

Jenny smiled as Buffy tugged her mother over the table while Rupert produced another chair and Xander brought the desserts out from the kitchen. Things wouldn't be perfect straight away, she thought as Rupert smiled at her warmly, squeezing her fingers with his own, and she would have to tell the truth about herself soon enough but for now, for tonight- this was pretty close to perfect.


End file.
